1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a sealed electrical connection element which constitutes, for example, the base of a power outlet, or the movable outlet of an extension cord or a connector.
2. Description of Background and Other Information
A connection element known for the above-mentioned applications is generally provided with peripherally distributed electrical contacts mounted in an insulating block, which are designed to cooperate with the corresponding contact pins of a plug, after the coupling of said plug with said element during at least a first translation movement followed by a rotation and a second translation, while a rotary safety disk is provided above the insulating block of the connection element and consists of peripheral perforations the number and positioning of which are selected, on the one hand, to conceal the peripheral contacts of the connection element at rest and, on the other hand, to be superimposed on the latter after the rotation of the disk carried by the pins of the plug which were inserted into said perforations of the disk during the first translation movement.
In order to guarantee that said elements are sealed at rest, they generally include a pivoting and lockable cover on a housing on which the insulating block and the contacts are arranged, said cover being closed with a seal on the housing in the resting position.
Apart from the different problems to be resolved in order to ensure a good seal with such a cover (efficiency of the joints, fitting of the closure, etc.), there is the major inconvenience of the user being compelled to close the cover after use, unless there is an automatic closure by an elastic means but which then compels the user to open the cover and to keep it in this position against its elastic means during the manipulations involved in coupling the plug and the element.
As described in the document DE-9013436U1, it has also been envisioned to have a connection element of the above-mentioned general type additionally including sealing blocks which are positioned under the safety disk in an equal number and arranged in the same manner as the peripheral perforations of the latter so as to seal the perforations completely in the rest position under the effect of elastic means, said sealing blocks being able to be disengaged from the peripheral perforations by the pins of the plug.
However, in this device, the sealing blocks are positioned in the insulating block provided with contacts.
Because it is necessary to have as many sealing blocks as there are contacts, it limits to this extent in the insulator the possible number of locations and compartments for the contacts, which may prove to be unacceptable for connection elements requiring more than two contacts and/or for devices of reduced size and/or for which the distribution and positioning of the contacts are determined by technical constraints, in particular to permit the provision of a large number of different currents while preventing the risks of electrical incompatibility.